Apparatus for operating railway-switches.



No. 823,136. v PATBNTED JUNE 12, 1906. M. M. MONELEY.

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING RAILWAY SWITCHES. APPLIOATION FILED sn'm'. 29. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 823,136. Y PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906.

I M. M. MONELBY.

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING RAILWAY SWITCHES. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

2, v 3 v T f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, MARTIN M. MONELEY, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO A. L. ALLEN AND TWO-THIRDS TO M. J. SOHERMERHORN, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1906.

Application filed September 29,1905. Serial No. 280,645.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARTIN M. MoNELEr, a citizen of theUnited States, residing. at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Operating Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to prevent difiiculties and delays incident to switching cars from one track to another.

My invention consists in the apparatus composed of elements and subcombinations, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view that shows the position of my switch-operating mechanism relative to the main-track rails, the sidetrack rails, the pivoted switch-rail, and a guard-rail. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view ofthe front end portion of a car that shows that part of the apparatus that is applied to and carried by the car for operating the switch mechanism located on the track, as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the end portlon of a car-in dotted line and shows the car axle and wheels on its end and theswitch-operating mechanism in solid lines and their positions relative to each other. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a flanged bed-plate and cover and bell-crank lever that has an upright at one end and is fulcrumed to a sprlng that normally retains the upright elevated, but also allows it to be depressed when trod upon by an animal or a wagon-wheel.

The numerals and 12 designate the main parallel track rails; 13 and 14, the branch or side track rails; 15, the pivoted rail-section, and 16 a guard-rail arranged and combined in a common way. A- flanged metal base-plate 18 isiitted under the main rail 10 at some distance from the plate 17 for supporting operative mechanisms.- To the top of the plate 17 are pivoted bell-crank levers 19 and 20, and they are connected with a crossiece 21, fixed to the under side of the free end of the pivoted rail-section by means of links 22, as shown in Fig. 1. To the plate or bottom portion of the box 18 are fixed leaf-springs 23 and 24, and totheir free end portions, that are bent upward, as shown in Fig. 4, are pivoted bell-crank levers 25 and 26, that have uprights 27 at their free ends, as shown 1n Fig. 4. Rods 28 connect the pairs of bell-crank levers thus arranged relative to each other and the track-rails in such a manner that all the bell-crank levers can f be simultaneously vibrated by a device carried on a car, that will impart lateral motion to one of the uprights 27 when desired by an operator on the car as it passes over the uprights and the switch.

7 To move'the uprights 27 as required for adjusting the pivoted rail-section 15, pairs of elbow-shaped levers 29, having lateral bends 30, are pivoted in bearings 31, fixed to the under side of a car, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,

and connected with cross-bars 32 at their upper ends.

Treadles 33 are pivoted to bearers 34, fixed to the under side and center of the end portion of a car and connected with the front and upper ends of the levers 29 and the crossbars 32.

The downwardly-inclined portions of the levers 29 are connected with the bottom of the car by means of coil-springs 36, that will allow vibratory motion to the levers and the earns 37 on their lower ends whenever the treadles 33 are depressed by the foot-pressure of a person on the car.

The plate or box 18 has an opening in its bottom that allows the bell-crank levers 25 and 26 to be depressed as required to lower the uprights 27 to be pressed down by the tread of an animal or wagon-wheel in passing over them. A cover 37 may be fitted on thebox 18.

In the practical use of my invention when the pivoted rail-section 15 is in position, as shown in Fig. 1,- and the operator on the car treads down the left-hand treadle 33 the cam 37 on the end of the lever 29 will be lowered as required to engage the upright 27 and press it inward toward the rail 10, and in so doing the bell-crank levers 25 and 19 will be vibrated and the free end of the pivoted railsection 15 moved toward the guard-rail 16 and the switch thus opened for a car to advaries from the main-track rails 10 and 12 ontothe side-track rails 13 and 14. A reverse movement of the pivoted rail-section 15' occurs when the right-hand treadle 34 is depressed by the operators foot to close the switch when open as required to advance the car on the main-track rails 10 and 12.

Having thus set forth the purpose of my invention and the construction, function, and arrangement and combinations of all the parts of the apparatus and the manner of its use, the practical operation and utility thereof will be readily understood by persons familiar with the art to which it pertains.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for operating a railway switch, a bell-crank lever having a fixed. upright at one end pivoted at the side, of a main railway-track a second bell-crank lever on the opposite side of the same track, levers on a car having cams to engage the uprights and thereby vibrate the bell-crank levers alternately in reverse ways and treadles on the car for alternately operating said levers.

2. I11 an apparatus for operating a railwayswitch, a pivoted railsection, a bell-crank lever connected with the free end of said railsection and means to actuate the bell-crank lever, a second bell-crank lever at some distance from the first one, a rod connecting the two bell-crank levers and means to simultaneously actuate the two bell-crank levers and the pivoted rail-section, as set forth.

3. In an apparatus for operating a railwayswitch, a leaf-spring fixed to a base-plate, a bell-crank lever pivoted to the end of the spring and provided with a fixed upright at one end and means for vibrating the bellcrank when a car passes over the upright.

l. In an apparatus for operating a railwayswitch, a leaf-spring fixed to a base-plate, a bell-crank lever pivoted to the end of the spring and provided with a fixed upright at one end and means for vibrating the bellcrank lever when a car passes over the upright and an opening in the base-plate to allow the upright on the end of the bell-crank lever to be depressed as set forth.

5. In an apparatus for operating a railwayswitch, two parallel main-track rails, two sidetrack rails, a pivoted rail-section, a fixed guard-rail, two pivoted bell-crank levers connected with the free end of the pivoted railsection, two leaf-spring fixed to a base at some distance from the pivoted rail-section, bell-crank levers pivoted to the free ends of the springs and uprights at the front ends of the bell-crank levers, to operate as set forth.

6. In an apparatus for operating a railwayswitch, two parallel main-track rails, two sidetrack rails, a pivoted rail-section, a fixed guard-rail, two pivoted bell-crank levers con nected with the free end of the pivoted railsection, two leaf-springs fixed to a base at some distance from the pivoted rail-section, bell-crank levers pivoted to the free ends of the springs and uprights at the front ends of the bell-crank levers and means carried on a car to engage said uprights, to operate as set forth.

7. In an apparatus for operating a railwayswitch, a lever fulcrumed to the under side and end portion of a car, a cam on the lower free end of the lever and means for lifting the front end of the lever for lowering the cam to engage an upright on the end of a bell-crank lever located at the side of a track-rail and operate as set forth.

8. In an apparatus for operating a railwayswitch, two levers fulcrumed to the under side and end portion of a car, a cam on the lower free end of each lever and means on the car for lifting the front ends of the lever and lowering the cams and bell-crank levers at the opposite sides of a track-rail provided with uprights at one end to be engaged by said cams when the car passes over the track as set forth.

9. In an apparatus for operating a railwayswitch, a lever fulcrumed to the under side and end portion of a car, a cam on the lower free end of the lever, a spring fixed to the lever and to the car to normally retain the cam on the end of the lever elevated and means for lifting the front end of the lever for lowering the cam to engage an upright on the end of a bell-crank lever located at the side of a track-rail and operate as set forth.

10. In an apparatus for operating a railway-switch, a lever fulcrumed to the under side and end portion of a car, a cam on the lower free end of the lever, a spring fixed to the lever and to the car to normally retain the cam on the end of the lever elevated, a treadle pivotally connected with the car and upper end of the lever and means for lifting the front end of the lever for lowering the cam to engage an upright on the end of a bell-crank lever located at the side of a track-rail and operate as set forth.

11. In an apparatus for operating a railwayswitch, a lever fulcrumed to the under side and end portion of a car, a cam on the lower free end of the lever, a spring fixed to the lever and to the car to normally retain the cam on the end of the lever elevated, a treadle pivotally connected with the car and upper end of the lever, a spring between the end of the treadle and the end of the lever and means for lifting the front end of the lever for lowering the cam to engage an upright on the end of a bell-crank lever located at the side of a track-rail and operate as set forth.

12. In an apparatus for operating a railway-switch, two levers fulcrumed to the bottom and side portions of the end of a car and rigidly connected at their upper ends by a cross-bar, a treadle pivoted to the car and fixed to the center of the cross-bar that is flexibly connected with the upper end of the levers, cams on the lower ends of the levers and means to normally retain the cams elevated relative to an upright projecting up- Ward from a bell-crank lever aside of a trackretain the cams on the ends of the levers ele 1o rail as set forth. vated relative to the uprights on the bell- 13. In an apparatus for operating a railcrank levers at the sides of the track-rails as Way-switch, two pairs of levers and each pair set forth.

connected at their ends by a cross-bar and each lever pivoted to the under side of a car MARTIN MONELEY' and provided with a cam on its lower free end, Witnesses:

treadles pivoted to the cam and connected R. G. ORWIG,

with the cross-bars and means to normally A THOMAS G. ORWIG. 

